Phase four takeaway: Penang style Hokkien 'char' and 'char hor fun' at Restoran Penang Famous Ah Niu Wantan Mee in Damansara Jaya

PETALING JAYA, Nov 8 -- When Penang folks who now live in the Klang Valley talk about their favourite places to eat here, I will straightaway zoom in on them as it is hard to uncover these hidden gems.

The surprise find for last weekend was an unexpected one where Penang style fried noodles are served at a wantan mee restaurant.

Restoran Penang Famous Ah Niu Wantan Mee serves "tok tok" mee, which is what wantan mee is known in Penang. The "tok tok" mimics the sound the hawkers (back in the day when they would push their food carts around town) made by knocking two bamboo pieces together to attract customers.

The outlet is also an extension of their brand from the northern state. With the lockdown, the restaurant had diversified their offerings beyond their wantan mee and tai chow dishes. Now they offer Penang style fried noodles and a selection of Penang favourites like prawn mee, koay teow thng and white curry mee.

The highlight is 'tua pan' or the flat broad rice noodles

I was recommended their char hor fun (RM10.40) that uses tua pan, which are the broader flat rice noodles. This was very well executed as the noodles (a mix of beehoon and tua pan) were infused with wok hei even though it was a takeaway.

You mix the sauce with the noodles for the 'char hor fun'

Just pour the sauce over the noodles. Mix and slurp it down for a satisfying meal. The sauce also has sliced fish cake, prawns and pieces of pork. I'm definitely visiting this place to enjoy these fried noodles piping hot from the wok as I can imagine, it will taste even better.

You can also get the rarely seen Hokkien 'char' or the Penang version of fried Hokkien noodles

The other thing Penangnites always look for is Hokkien char (RM10.40). These simple fried yellow noodles are coated with a light brown sauce made with a touch of dark soy sauce.

This was well executed too and I liked how they gave lots of fried shallots that added more umami to the dish. The strands are thinner than the KL thicker noodles which I prefer for a better bite.

For their wantan mee, you get to choose the type of noodles used, whether it is the thick or thin egg noodles. There's also instant noodles, rice noodles and the flat type of noodles.

The 'wantan mee' with thin noodles is served with BBQ pork and wantans

My friend who is from Penang tells me her preference is the flat rice noodles, which is how they are served in Penang. As the usual thin type is what we are familiar with, I ordered the thin egg noodles paired with BBQ pork and wantans for RM7.50.

Even though it was a takeaway, the noodles still retained a nice bite albeit a softer one. There's also just enough sauce to coat the strands. For their BBQ pork, this was the type with a bit more bite and distinct layers of fat. It was paired with plump wantans. There are other choices such as braised chicken feet with mushrooms, curry chicken or fried wantans.

The weekend just got better with their tasty white curry mee

For the weekend, they offer white curry mee (RM11.40) which is available from 11am onwards. A bowl of your preferred noodles (mine is always yellow noodles and beehoon) is served with beancurd puffs, cuttlefish, coagulated blood cubes, cockles, prawns and mint leaves.

This version may have more coconut milk than the Penang ones but it's still a very tasty bowl that you won't mind slurping down. The sambal tends to be milder though. What I didn't like was the texture of the coagulated blood cubes as it tasted a bit powdery on the tongue.

You can also enjoy a bowl of prawn mee here that ticks all the right boxes

I also tried their prawn mee (RM11.40), which is available daily. The broth was nice with a slight sweetness that went well with my noodles. It's got a touch of spiciness too which made it incredibly drinkable. There was also prawns, blanched kangkung, pork slices, fish cake and hard boiled egg.

Other items on their additional menu include koay teow thng, fish head beehoon, tom yum noodles with minced pork or fish head, char kway teow and chee cheong fun. There's also oyster fried noodles.

The noodles are packed separately from the broths so you can reheat it

You can also order cooked dishes such as marmite chicken or sweet and sour pork with rice. Solo diners can also opt for their set meals with soup and drinks.

If you're within their delivery area, you can order via Grab or Food Panda too.

Restoran Penang Famous Ah Niu Wantan Mee, 81, Jalan SS22/11, Damansara Jaya, Petaling Jaya. Open: 10am to 3pm, 5pm to 9pm (last order is 8.30pm). Tel:+603-77330812/+6018-9888812. Facebook:@ahniuwantanmee.Damansara